Thursday, December 27, 2012

H: Good! It was hectic schedule but I could reach my goals,
hit my targets and make myself free this weekend and add three more just us
time to it. I am all yours sweet heart.

W: You mean you and your rough stubble?

H: Ha ha ha!! I like to sprout the stubble for a macho look
it gives me. Without it my round face gets a baby faced cherubic look. You have
to appreciate that I keep it well groomed, which gives a nice refined look. Don’t
you know this is one of the lasting trends of facial hair that has been in
fashion for ages? This scruffy, unshaven, perpetual three-day-shadow look makes
my face interesting and makes everyone believe I am hard worker. I love the
impression it creates, so that stays.

W : I think you are dashing in that stubble honey…. it has an
edgy and dangerous appeal to me. When did I tell you that you should shave? Actually
I want you to get some more of that roughed look. I was just thinking about the
party we have today evening. You know my lean and mean friends from the fashion
world? They all think that you look so attractive and sexy when you are shaven
clean. They ogle and giggle among themselves making me uncomfortable. You remember
the last time how Rintu snatched you away from me to dance for ages and
lovingly touched your smooth cheeks? I almost killed both of you then ppfffttt!
Please don’t shave honey!

H: We are having a party today? Wow! To think of it may be I
should shave to get a good party look.

W: I think we are running out of time and you should come
along with that stubble of yours. We don’t want to miss the fun, do we? By the
way, all you want is to be admired by me and not other women.

H: No darling! How is it possible to sport stubble for the
party your friends are throwing? After all you have an image and status to
maintain among them. I don’t want them to think that you make me work too hard.
Do I have enough time to shave and shower before the party?

W: Oh no! I will miss your stubble honey. But I agree that you
are right, we have to put good impression on my friends. Hurry up, you have
just enough time to get that shave (and make me crave for you) and enjoy the
party.

The smart wife knew that her man looked adorable in the
designer stubble, on which he put great effort but she did not like the feel of
it. The rugged hair on his lovely face was endearing to her heart, but she
could not allow the wild beast on his face to scratch and bruise her smooth
skin. Kissing his cheeks was something like kissing a hedgehog, which pulled
her away from him. She would allow him to have whatever he wanted on the
weekdays, but now when they were free and had all the time in the world for
themselves, she wanted her man sleek, soft and smooth for the entertaining ‘Just
Us’ time he had planned. She also very well knew that, though honest and
dedicated husband to a beautiful wife, he loved it when he felt other women
crave for him making her jealous. Furthermore, being a man, the best way to get
him do something was to tell him not to do it.
He always fulfilled her wishes, but when it came to doing chores and grooming
he was a person who wanted to assert himself and tell I will do what I like. His
mother had revealed the secret to her daughter in law and she was using the
weapon well to get him do things for her. She smiled to herself as he rushed to
get the shave and shower for her without even realizing it.

Monday, December 24, 2012

It is time for spread of happiness and merriment all around
the world. Santa is coming loaded with gifts for good behavior from children. I
plead with Santa to shower some Humanity on us human beings because we have
lost the essence of what we represent. That is what we need more than anything at
present.

I had decided not to post about current events on my blog,
because the media will be full of it, and no one wants more dose of it on my
blog. Recently, I was so touched by the killing of children in USA and China on
the same day that I went back on my decision and posted my pain.

Again I am compelled to write about something which is being
flashed by the media so often just because it has affected me very badly. I had
read the report of the rape case in moving bus of Delhi, and something about the
event broke my courage which I had held for long and felt that I can deal with
life. Last week when walking on the road in broad daylight in a busy road in
Jayanagar, an Innova with some rough looking men stopped a little ahead and few
of them got down. For the first time in my life, I felt weak, scared and
gullible. I have travelled with my brother on the roads of Bangalore even at
odd hours of midnight without ever feeling the fear. Recently when people were complaining
about the late hours of Indiblogger meet, I jumped in without being worried
because I had felt safe. I was not a person who has ever been afraid of threats
thrown directly at me, even when others had feared for my safety especially at
my in-laws place. I had approached the police to settle the matter legally
without any help from my family or neighbors. For a person like me, to be scared of some unknown (may be good men) people
in broad daylight is something to be worried about.

Haven’t I read about rapes and murders earlier? Didn't I know such heinous acts took place so
often? Why all of a sudden the fear has taken over me? Is this going to be
permanent or just temporary change in my attitude? I am not sure of the answers
again.

Though Delhi has erupted demanding justice for the
brutalized girl, the city has to hang its head in shame as none of them had
come forward to cover the body of the young woman and her friend, when they lay
stripped, brutalized and violated on the road in Mahipalpur in biting cold. The
crowd of nearly 50 people just stood watching them.

Doctors are looking for donors of intestine for the girl who
has lost 95% of her intestines. Isn't it fair enough that they hang the
culprits and donate their intestine and rest of the organs to restore her life
to as much normal as possible. Do our government which hesitated so much in
hanging Kasab has guts to go ahead and give this justice to the woman?

Just yesterday I read the gory details about the Delhi rape
case and the brutality the victim was subjected to. I am shocked and numbed.
Such torture of an innocent girl for no crime of hers! I cannot even vaguely
imagine the emotional and physical trauma she must have been through. The
spirit she is showing in recovering from the extreme trauma is amazing and
praiseworthy. I was wondering how 95% of her intestine could be damaged, for
days when yesterday a friend gave me some details about how that took place.
Are they really humans who can actually do this to fellow human beings? We call
other species beasts just because they are born flesh eaters and have to hunt
for food. What would they think of us when they get to know about such heinous
acts committed by so called civilized species of men? Good the animals are mute
and cannot talk.

There was a short poem in Hindi doing rounds on face book
written by some anonymous person.

Ek Kutti raat ko raaste par jarahi thi....

Raaste mein 5/6 kutte mile.

Kutti gabhra gayi.....

Kutto ne kaha aap aaram se jaiye aur dariye nahi.

Hum kutte hai Insaan nahi

Which roughly translates as

A bitch, one night was walking down a lonely lane

When she sighted 5/6 dogs walking in chain

The bitch grew terrified looking at the strays

When the dogs calmly allowed her to walk away

Saying “Do not fear us, we are not terrible ones

We are just dogs not the cruel humans”

So true!

I wonder about the rape victim. What if he girl was meek and
not fought back so strongly? May be without the brutality of the act she may
have to answer the questions, “Did she ask for it?” Many of victims go through
the test of their moral integrity, dress style, attitude and many other such
factors which is said to provoke sexual assault. When girls as small as 2-3 yrs are raped then they just withdraw into shadows, only to sneak back when this happens to young women. Don't the Burkha clad women get raped? Why does this happen only
among us humans and not animals?

There is so much to think about on these lines; at least it
set my thoughts on flow. Why do we humans treat the females in such heinous way?
In the land where they worship Goddesses, the women are treated like dirt. Passing
lewd remarks, making vulgar gestures, staring are common in our nation. The
democratic country of India is witness to nearly 30-40 rape cases every day,
with the national capital wearing the captain’s cap with 572 cases in 2011. So
many cases go unreported, especially by the minors who do not even understand
they are being victimized.

Reading through the news it is shocking to read where lust
is taking ‘MAN’. Where is the morality and humanity of men sunk to? Just a peep
into few news reports that I came across in the past few days which is not only
shocking but nauseating.

On December
11, 2012 Times of India reported that in a bizarre crime, a youth attempted to
rape a 12-year-old girl inside her house in the presence of her two sisters and
grandfather in Alwar?s Govindgarh area. However, when he failed in the bid, he
returned two days later and set the girl on fire. The girl is now battling for
life in hospital.

KANPUR: In
a shocking incident, a minor girl, who had accused a local goon of raping her,
has been allegedly strangulated to death by the hoodlum in full public view
after she refused to withdraw the complaint against him. The incident occurred
in Sidhaav village in bordering Fatehpur district on Saturday morning when the
accused Narvada Nishad barged into the house of the girl, Poonam Sonker (16),
and after brutally attacking her strangled her to death.

Hisar: The
Hisar police have arrested three of the five men accused, including a
constable, for allegedly abducting and gangraping a 19-year-old college student
in Barwala town. Police officials said that the medical examinationconfirmed
rape. The girl was abducted on
November 27 while she was on her way back home and kept in confinement for four
days till November 30 and raped during this duration by five men. The police registered a case after the girl
filed a complaint on Sunday, December 2, a day after she was dumped in
Bahabalpur village near Barwala.

A housewife
was stripped naked, gangraped and battered in full public glare in Tripura,
police said on Saturday. "A 37-year-old woman was gang-raped at Bishalgarh
in western Tripura Wednesday night. After the rape, the women was stripped
naked, brutally beaten up and then tied to a tree," a police official told
reporters here.

The
Kasaragod district sessions court on Thursday sentenced a madrassa teacher to
22 years in prison for raping and sodomizing a 10-year-old

A
three-year-old girl was raped in a play-school in West Delhi, prompting the
Delhi government on Friday to ask the police to take stringent action against
its principal.The child was allegedly raped by the husband of the owner of the
school on Monday in west Delhi's Sagarpur area, and the incident came to light
two days later, police said.

A
55-year-old man was on Saturday accused of sexually abusing a six-year-old girl
at Bhathkidih in Jamshedpur city. In a FIR filed by Saeeda Parveen the mother
of the victim, the man, Subhaan was accused of abusing the minor and issuing
threats not to go to the police, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Law and
Order) Raj Kishore Prasad told reporters.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

When I shifted to Bangalore few months ago, one of the things I was looking forward to was - online shopping. Back in Byndoor, I did not have option of home delivery, so if I really wanted to buy something, then I had to send it to my sister in laws home and collect it from there when I came over to Bangalore.

Many people told me that online shopping was not a good idea and I should not go ahead buying things without looking at them first. But I had my experience with online through Blogadda. I had won quite some gift vouchers in contests through which I could buy products from Myntra, Flipkart, Homeshope18, etc, which I had used to purchase things online. Other than a bad experience with GK Opticals, or few mistakes on part of posting right pictures from Flipkart for which they failed to compensate, my other online shopping has been very good. At times we do get excellent offers of coupons to shop from through sites like Cuponation which will give further benefits like 50% off, or flat 1000/- off on purchases from your favorite website like Jabong, Inkfruit, Myntra, Snapdeal and many more.

Once I shifted to Bangalore, I have started purchasing everything online, including my groceries. It is easier to sit in the comfort of my home and do window shopping. Off course it is going to help me gain those pounds (not British currency but the weight), but it saves time and money. I can walk around just for fun if I need exercise or even take up some proper exercising schedule.

We have cash on delivery, exchange offers and other benefits which I have taken advantage of for good shopping experience. I am being lazy and shopping easy not only for myself but also for my family. Recently my sister wanted a birthday gift for her son; I ordered it for her through Jabong. She paid cash and received it from her home. When I was shopping for her, my daughter fell for anklets she saw there. So I decided to gift it to her for her Eid present. The size fits her well and she loves them.

It is funny how I am slowly being dependent on internet for every work I do. I am earning online, keeping in touch with people online, I am totally google brained as I google for almost everything I want to know, I am spending my earning online, most of the transactions are taking online… and I am already dreading the day I will be without internet connection.

I am not sure whether I should continue with this pattern or change to being more of an offline person………….. OH NO~~ I am looking for an answer to that online too LOL.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

"The test of the morality of a society is what it
does for its children."

In a very horrific and indescribable
tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, twenty-seven
people, including eighteen children, were shot to death inside an elementary
school, which is at least the sixteenth mass shooting to take place in America
this year.

Beijing: A knife-wielding man slashed 22 children and an adult at an
elementary school in central China on Friday, state media reported, the latest
in a series of attacks on schoolchildren in the country.The man attacked the children at the gate of a
school in Chenpeng village in Henan province, the Xinhua news agency reported.

14th December –
two different countries, two different cultures, on opposite sides of the
globe, a same tragedy took place in which the victims were sadly the children. Those
innocent, young angles, some even from Kindergarten, who had not done any harm
or caused misery to anyone.

"Wild animals never kill
for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow
creatures is amusing in itself."James
Anthony Froud

What could be the motive or
reason behind such mass killings, especially of children? Where have we humans gone wrong, as we are the only
species who seem to suffer from such madness? Where in the dark hidden corner
of that amazing thing called human brain, which churns out inventions after
inventions, is this madness that enables individuals to commit such unimaginable
horrors. Is there some unknown and undiscovered truth about our minds which has
not yet been explored? Often people tend to be empathetic and loving, unless something
snaps and turns them into demons. Was this hatred, revenge, sacrifice or just madness?

It is easy to ask questions
but tough to find answers, even tougher to prevent such tragedies because those
who commit such crimes do not come with any kind of labels. They are just like
you and me, at least in appearance. Though we have come up with laws, rules,
divisions between right and wrong, religions for moral policing and much more,
we have somehow mutated and developed an unfortunate ability which will shut
each of them off. Does history not have enough proof of this special ability of
humans, when they have done unthinkable crimes which assure us that they had
shut every their minds off from thinking
about consequences, distinguishing between right and wrong while causing pain
to innocent victims?

At times like this when I think
of parents who have sent their kids to school, and learn that they will never
come back home because some person gripped by madness made them a target of his
frustration, a deep fear lurks inside me that it could happen anywhere, anytime
to anyone. Have I not seen people who in a particular moment if had access to
weapons are capable to committing such horrendous acts? I have seen quite a few
them, and also quite a few ugly expressions of rage. The hidden dark secrets of
human mind lurk like a large sword on our heads, which can drop down anytime
and cut us into pieces.

Erich Fromm who has done
extensive research and written “The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness”, says the
extinction of fantasies and an aspect of necrophilism feeds the malignant aggression
in human mind, which gives them a feeling that death and demolition leads to
glory. Those who have been desperate or failures may think this as a mark they
live on the world which would never be able to forget them. Fromm says these
people often have dreams about dismembered parts or rooms full of corpses. They
have trouble relating to others and tend to feel bored. Preferring dark colors,
they’re often obsessed with devices of destruction or role models who carried
out large-scale slaughters. They feel a smirking superiority toward others,
often being insensitive about tragedies that involved a loss of life.

Psychology has a term pseudocommando defined as “A type of mass
murderer who kills in public during the daytime, plans his offense well in
advance, and comes prepared with a powerful arsenal of weapons. He has no
escape planned and expects to be killed during the incident. Research suggests
that the pseudocommando is driven by strong feelings of anger and resentment,
flowing from beliefs about being persecuted or grossly mistreated. He views
himself as carrying out a highly personal agenda of payback. Some mass
murderers take special steps to send a final communication to the public or
news media; these communications, to date, have received little detailed
analysis. An offender's use of language may reveal important data about his
state of mind, motivation, and psychopathology. It is argued that revenge
fantasies become the last refuge for the pseudocommando's mortally wounded
self-esteem and ultimately enable him to commit mass murder-suicide”.

There are many more
psychoanalytical explanations to mass murders which is scary, but my heart
bleeds and asks “Why Children?”

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Recently I had been a part of a talk on Breast Cancer
Awareness for Abhilasha Mahila Mandali at Jayanagar. It was a lovely experience
for me which I would love to share it here on my blog. Being a punctual person, I
reached there a bit early and could sit and watch women drop in one by one.
Most of them were housewives, in the age group of 40-80 who gathered
enthusiastically to learn about cancer and know more about this demon everyone
fears. For past two months I have attended a lot of awareness programs, where
the audiences were more educated people than the group I was meeting here. I
wondered whether these women would really grasp the topic and understand what
the doctors were saying or was it going to be a futile attempt.

The two doctors who were to present the program were Dr.
Padma Kamineni and Dr. Krithika.M whose profile told me once again how tough it
was for them to connect with women, who earlier had told me that they wanted
the program to be in Kannada, as many of them could not follow English.

A big surprise awaited me, as the awareness program began when
though with difficulty Dr.Padma Kamineni explained everything about health
awareness to women present in Kannada. She was very much accommodating, and
encouraged the women to interrupt and ask her questions in between her
presentation.

Much accolades should be given to the women also, who were
open with their fears about cancer and asked the doctor quite relevant
questions which made her provide crucial information regarding health issues to
the people present. These women were honest with their fear about cancer,
unlike many who try to ask intellectual questions, throwing doubts on the
information provided by doctors. But this group was different, they asked
simple questions like

Why does cancer happen?

How can we prevent cancer?

What diet can help in prevention of cancer?

What are the symptoms to be aware of?

After being through many seminars and awareness programs
where we had educated people as participants, this was a program gave me
insight into the fears common people posses about cancer, what type of misconceptions
they have and how much they want to avoid it in their lives. This was an eye opener
for me.

Dr. Krithika gave short but very important information about
self breast examination with the help of video. She also spoke in Kannada so that everyone
could understand her, and was accommodative to all types of queries.

Sensing the fear among the present, I spoke in the end for a
while explaining that cancer does not mean death, I am the proof of it. I gave a brief account of my survivor story to the people present. Most of
the people present were taken aback to know I was a survivor. I explained to
them that, life changes after cancer but it need not always be a negative
change. At times being near to death allows us to have positive change in our
lives too.

I appreciate the effort put by HCG, Mrs. Shylaja Prabhakar Executive Assistant and its team of doctors
in creating cancer awareness among people, and spreading message about the
importance of early diagnosis and right treatment the first time. They need a
big applause for their efforts.

Dr. Padma Kamineni has completed her graduation from
prestigious Institute in Karnataka and pursued her higher education in
Hematology and Medical Oncology from Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC
and subsequently worked as an Assistant Professor for a year. She has worked as
an Oncologist in Northern Virginia, USA.Her special interests are breast cancer
and gastro intestinal cancer.

She was
recognized as America’s Top Oncologists by Consumer Research Council of America
two years in a row (2009 & 2010). She has also been named as one of Top
Medical Oncologists by Northern Virginia Magazine for two years in a row (2011
& 2012). She actively participated in Annual Meet Our Experts panel
discussion in Breast Cancer at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Fairfax, VA. She has
also published papers and articles in international journals-Blood, JNMA, and
Clinica Chimica Acta.

She is
Board certified in Hematology and Medical Oncology and Internal Medicine. She
is an active member of American Society of Oncology (ASCO) and American Society
of Hematology.

Dr. Krithika.M Consultant Surgical Oncologist has
vast experience & is a pioneer in advanced Breast Conservative surgeries,
she has performed more than 3000 surgeries.

She is a
gold medalist from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health sciences &completed
her postgraduate surgical training from the United Kingdom. She continued
higher surgical training in the United Kingdom & has extensive training in
different specialties of oncosurgery in UK.She has been actively involved in
various research and audit projects and has a number of international
publications to her credit and won prizes for the same.She has been actively
involved in mentoring and teaching juniors.She has done her fellowhsip in
breast and colorectal surgery in England.

Her
specialist interest include breast and oncoplastic surgery including
reconstruction and cosmetic surgery, colorectal cancers including laproscopic
colorectal surgery.She is member of British Medical Association and Royal
College of Surgeons (Edin).

Sunday, December 2, 2012

As I entered the 40’s a few years ago, it was no easier to
find the dresses and accessories that would go with my age, weight and yet be
flattering to my personality. Gone were the teen days of bright colors, full
frills and laces, as I became more comfortable with subtle colors and plain
designs. The financially stable women in
middle ages have more to spend but fewer options to choose from, in comparison
to their younger counterparts. Adapting to the changes in the body during the middle ages is one the best thing that I can do to bring out my style statement that will keep me comfortable, suit my age and at the same time will give as much as flattering look as possible.

Being an organized planner, when the contest inIndiblogger asked me to Pick my favorite apparel and accessories from www.shoppersstop.comand put together an ensemble that’s the perfect look for this festive season I started from my hair and then went on adding all the necessary things that I would need before I walk out.

As for the hair I choose the LOreal Paris Hair
Expertise Shampoo Smooth Intense as it will help me deal deftly with the lost shine and smoothness of my hair.

Then it is time to cover up those peeping tom greys with some LOreal Paris Excellence Hair Colour Shade No 1 Natural Black before giving it the final touch with LOreal
Paris Hair Expertise Shampoo Colour Protect

That will give me satisfaction of giving my head a good crowning glory!

Adidas Floral Dream Deo Spray - 150 m

I would love to go with a floral theme this festive season, one of the reason why I opt for a Floral Dream Deo from Adidas to splash myself with.

Having learned the harmful effect of sun rays on our skin, there is no way I would dare venture out without proper protection. It is nice to shop for everything a woman needs on one single website or a shopping center. I
am glad to find Lakme Sun Expert Fairness Sunscreen Lotion Spf30 Pa+ on
shoppers stop.

Now it is time for getting dressed up comfortably and comfort should come from within. I am supporter of non-wired cotton undergarments that are cool and good enough to wear throughout the day. As the floral theme would need light colors I will opt for Amante Non Padded Non Wired Bra and Jockey Ladies Modern
Brief.
With a wide range of choice available, it is difficult to choose a suitable dress, but keeping a theme in mind makes it more easier for me. I love the look of this simple dress, which looks comfortable and elegant. Though I try to avoid laces, the festive season is good reason to indulge in some grandeur. So that it is Kashish Patiala-Kurta-Dupatta Set with Embroidered Yoke, Lace Trims, Short Sleeves, and Printed Chiffon Dupatta made of Cotton Jacquard Fabric for me.

It was not difficult to find a hand bag to go with the
design, as I instantly fell in love with this Hidesign – Handbag, an all day
bag in vegetable tanned faux crocodile leathers which matched the color of my
dress.

Moving ahead to accessories I find this Wrist watch very elegant, with a debonair style statement so I choose Skagen - Womens Watch - 608SSS. A slight tinge of green makes it compliment my dress and accessories as well

What is an Indian woman without jewelry for the festive season? So I move over to the buy some expensive jewelry now. It is always lovely to shop virtually for contests.. without affecting the bank balance, than to do it with real credit card ;)

Though silver is my favorite metal, for festive season I will go with glittery gold. The green stones in the ring catch my eye so I slip it on my finger before surfing over to other jewelry.

Carbon
Diamond Ladies Ring.

I was happy to find this perfect match of Pretty WomenPendant Chain with Earring containing Cz Stones with Light Green Colour Beat Drop to rightly compliment my dress and finger ring. Being a married woman, Mangalasutra is also important for me. I found a perfect one for me in this Sparkles Gold Mangalsutra with Diamond Pendant.

After having a smooth run so far, finally it was tough to find some bangles or bracelet to go with my theme and color. Reluctantly I choose this bracelet because it has the floral design and suits the Mangalsutra, but would look great with a green stone thrown in here and there. I would sure love to have some more choices in this department.

To make up for the lack of color on bracelet, I decorate my nails with green color nail polish, which would compensate lavishly. At my age I love to stick to shades of maroon, but once in a while I decide to step out of way. Maybelline Colorama Nail Enamel Verde PalmeiraGlossy nail color in captivating vibrant shades comes to my rescue here.

The lips will do with Lakme Lip Love Dark Desirei

I apply a very light dab of greenish Lakme Absolute Eye Shadow Queen which will properly compliment the rest of the accessories.

Givenchy Play For Her Edp Intense Spray 75ML

A warm fragrance, Play for Her Eau de Parfum Intense exudes a dark sensuality, with the promise of a giddying playtime. Hmmm sounds interesting and smells good too.

After a big splash of Givenchy fragrance it is time for me to step out in my Lemon Pepper - Ladies Footwear which is Trendy and bold- to make my own style statement.

With all the accessories set for the theme, for the special celebration all I have to do is slip out of the comfortable suit into the elegant Saree to get that special Indian festive look.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

I wanted to have kids and play with them
even when I was a kid myself. No wonder when I had children of my own, I loved
painting, walking and playing with them until cancer happened. The shock of
being diagnosed of Breast Cancer, Stage III at the age of 29, took some fun out
of me. Chemo, picking up broken pieces of life, dealing with relationships took
its toll and I was not the same person I used to be. Somehow the fun activities
were pushed into background, despite the fact that I was always there as a
caretaker for my kids. Though not a big deal, coping with total hair loss was
tough on me.

One day my son, who was sitting alone and
creating some painting on his own asked me, "Maa, is our lives changed
forever? Can we never paint together again?” That was the day I snapped out of my
self-pitying role and climbed out of the pit. Nothing was going to stop me from
having fun and living my life, especially I was determined not to allow Cancer
to steal the love and enjoyment I could share with my children.

It was time again for long walks, games, carom,
book reading, and off course painting.

This picture is my favorite photograph because
it was captured unknown to us, when we were drowned creating our masterpiece
and were totally unaware of the world around us. This still inspires me to snap
out of tough times, as I had done earlier. It tells me that happiness lies in
small things we enjoy with our family. Since then I have never allowed anything
to stop me from having fun and enjoying life to the fullest.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

A handsome young athletic, boy works as a helping hand in the farm
of a person who has a beautiful niece. He was sent there because he was unmanageable
in his home, and his parents could not tolerate his tantrums anymore. He came
from a family of hakim, who gave medicines mostly for free and therefore never
had enough to feed his family of 8 children. The girl was 2nd among
the 4 sisters, who did not have any brother in their home. To replace the
missing son, her mom would seek help from the boy for manly chores. In the
filmy style they both fall in love with each other. No other love story
has ever inspired me more than theirs. In my childhood, I would hear some
family members narrate incidences of their love story. As the love was filmy,
there had to be the usual filmy style of people opposing to their love. The girl
stood strong for her love, even when the boy was intimidated by her huge family
of rich people.

They were the epitome of the adage ‘Opposites attract’. They both
had different attitude towards their lifestyle, as against the rich extravagant
ways of the girl, the boy was one who saved bus fare by walking miles. Even
physically they were poles apart, the boy was athletic, tall muscular man who
had a lean appearance, where as the girl was short and rounded up with long
flowing tresses. They went through tons of ups and downs in their love story,
but nothing could ever tear them apart. Their everlasting odd love which lasted
the onslaught of many social divisions inspires me to write to and share their
story with the world. But nothing lasts forever. How did they finally part
ways?

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

After a wonderful Sunday evening, at the IndibloggerNokiaaptasting event, I am now back at doing
what I am good at – blogging. Now Rajiv Makni and Vikas Khanna, please read my
whole blog because you promised to. The post is long just because you had too
much offer; I loved them all and want to share every bit of the evening here.

Whoever came up with
an idea of bringing together Rajiv Makhni and Vikas Khanna together for
promoting the dropping market of Nokia really needs a standing applause. The
entertainment value of the presentation is good enough to erase those memories
of hanging Nokia phones, and come back having a good feeling for the brand in
your heart.

The event kicked off with the bloggers registering, and
sharing their ideas about new great apps that would make a difference. I had
heard enough about Rajiv’s wit and Vikas’s good looks from bloggers who attend
the previous meet to land a bit early and take seat in the front. I did not
want to strain my eyes ogling at the
guys from a distance.

Anoop started off the event with a weird kind of gesture and
hurr hurr cry, which he says was started at the first Indimeet held in
Bangalore. Somehow, it worked in shutting down our minds to rest of world and
bring us right into the event; to have fun and enjoy it to the fullest.

The real happenings of the Nokia event kicked off with
Poonam Kaul, Director Communications,Nokia walking on the stage to give a brief
account about the brand Nokia and event they were hositng. She explained how
they had first organized the Apptasting events for celebrities, success of the
Mumbai meet with bloggers .. when with pounding hearts bloggers (especially
women) waited for the two stars to walk in.

As the two men walked in and took the stage, I knew within
seconds that Rajiv is going to bring out the best out of Vikas to entertain us
to the fullest. After a brief introduction how food and Apps got together, he
began with those hilarious digs at the Vikas, who he says told him he is making
Apps for twenty years, LOL. Carrying on with the humorous trait, Vikas won
hearts of Indibloggers by fumbling to find the right word for Apps, first he said
appliances before finding the right word. That was the beginning and there was
no stopping from there. The stage remained vibrant with fun and entertainment
all through the night.

Vikas Khanna reached right into my heart, when he mentioned
how he got to sing bhajan in Udupi Krishna Temple. Here was a master chef who
had cooked for President Obama, coming from Amritsar, but talking about a town
near my native village and its culture. I was cleanly bowled over when he
narrated the Kanakadasa Keertan “Nara janma bandaaga, Naalige iruvaga Krishna
enabarade” in impeccable Malanad accent. It made me feel so proud and happy to
hear that a celebrity had worked hard to perfect his accent just to get a
chance to sing in the temple of Udupi.

After being won over for the evening, nothing was going to
make me feel bad about the event for the rest of the evening. Not even RajivMakhni looking at me and making up his mind there and then that he is never
going to allow me to share the stage with him. Being a smart guy, he had
immediately noticed what a show stealer I could be, and decided not to take a back
seat. That is how I never got to climb the podium and claim a Nokia lumia. It
was all because I made Rajiv Makhni insecure.

The event now moved on to make the bloggers happy (at least
some of them), by calling three of them at a time over the stage and allowing
them to have a shot at fame in 30’s seconds. The smarty Rajiv handed over the
tough task of selecting the winners to Vikas, while he, in his immaculate
debonair style went on to entertain us, sometimes at the expense of the
bloggers. I am sure not even Rajiv was prepared to hear what he had to from Tyger,
when he asked him, Why does he blog? The answer was Blog had given him fame and
life, 4 girl friends, a wife and he was going to be a father in six months.
Nothing could beat that for sure! Here I was feeling happy to have won few
goodies on contest, when unknown to me a real great star of blogging world
existed.

Though we did not get to hear all the bloggers introduce
themselves, some of those who did could tell the world what bloggers are all
about. It is about people who are trying to make a difference to the world in
their own way, about the things they are passionate about. There was the
farmer, a senior citizen, 10 year old expressing his feelings and many others among those people who went there and
told us why they blog. The introductions made me feel humble as a blogger and proud
for being a part of their team.

As for the actual Apptasting: we were allowed to taste new
Windows App, and all I can say is technically we are moving ahead at lightning
speed. From the days of my first 3310 Nokia phone in 2001, we are now having
X-ray visions of our surroundings with Nokia City Lens, movie making of 1920’s with Creative Studio, find the right wine and dine with right combination with Cocktail Flow and many more amazing
wonderful advantages just in matter of 11 years.

Blind folded Soup Tasting.

Technically speaking I am not
a techie, but there is no doubt I love the progress happening in technology and
the new gadgets techies churn out from the ocean of science. When I am allowed
to taste an app like in the App-Tasting Indiblogger meet, I can lick the plate
clean. I was not born as a romantic person who believes in love at first sight,
at least not until I touched a keyboard. Unbelievable, but it did happen
finally, the fairy tale love at first sight and that too with a computer. I love gadgets and new applications to be
added to my mobile, including games, no wonder with his wit and sense of humor
Rajiv’s presentation this part of the event the most interesting one to me.

The show steal-er of the event was the Gangnam style dance
performed between the cookies and techies. Rajiv even had an app which could
train bloggers to dance. To top it all we had a Raj- Simran love story with a great
twist presented in his own witty style by Rajiv again.

Rajiv like usual had all the drollness and showmanship at
full flow, while Vikas entertained by just being himself. He smilingly allowed
Rajiv to lure every ounce of adorability out of him most willingly. I wonder
why no one swooned with those hot guys on stage and wine to go.

There were quite some Lumia’s at stake for cutting onions
with a technique taught by Vikas, quiz which included soup tasting to identify
the ingredients, and other fun filled events which kept me entertained. Rajiv
here came to the rescue of the Vikas when bloggers took advantage of his pleasing
and agreeable nature and tried to argue or interfere with him. The tact he used
left the bloggers who were subdued, not knowing what actually hit them.

He also went on to demonstrate the breath analyzing
qualities of our mobile phones. We have to applaud the two volunteers,
especially Nabanita, who walked up the stage to take the test. There is no
doubt that Rajiv and Vikas were attracting the women folk like light attracts moths,
and the girls were willingly becoming gullible to the pranks being pulled on
them.

We had some more entertainment for bloggers, where they had
to shoot three spots selected by Rajiv Makni and present it to him. The best
photographer won another Lumia.

As a Grand Finale, we had the bloggers who had been chosen
by the jury to present their “My wish is your App” ideas. The scene was
conducted with Vikas being a judge along with Poonam and five other members
(three bloggers included), to whom the bloggers had to present the ideas in 60
seconds. The ideas were great, ranging from snatching phones from kids without
making them cry, clicking pictures of products and trying to find the product
in shops nearby with discounts, to filling potholes on Bangalore roads.

A precious moment to remember

As the event winded up, I wanted to talk to the stars,
especially Vikas because I had heard his inspiration story of having trouble
walking in earlier days, which had led him to kitchen and later becoming Master
Chef and twice winner of Michelin Award. I hesitatingly approached him only to
find out he was much better human being than he appeared there on the stage. I
mentioned about Farheena’s trouble walking and surgeries she had undergone,
when he gracefully walked up to her, sat down beside her and allowed us to
photograph him with her, with the same grace he had carried throughout the evening. I am
touched!

Then it was time for dinner. When walking back after my
dinner, I had my chance of revenge on smarty Rajiv who was giving an interview.
I walked up to him and interrupted his talk, because there was no way I was
walking away from the event without personally talking to him. I told him about
my blog, my daughter and introduced him to her as a TV personality. The girl
just loves stars and people on TV. I am sure Rajiv was highly impressed by me and was glad that
he did not allow me get on the stage and steal the show from him. So with a
satisfied smile of having made right decision he went back to his interview,
and having my own revenge of making him a bit uncomfortable I walked away. I
did not have my camera man (who was enjoying the dinner) to take pictures of him with Farheena. Next time!

I would not call this Indiblogger Meet, but rather a grand
event organized by Nokia exclusively for indibloggers.

I met our own Indiblogger team of Renie, Kartik, Vineet, Nandita
and other fellow indi-bloggers. Though people were complaining of not having
interaction with other bloggers, I found a way because I had will. I connected
with many new bloggers, and did not even spare the celebrities nor Nokia team. It
all depends on what attitude we show. Kartik made sure we got into the right
indiminibus and reached home safely. The sweetheart even called me up next
morning to know if everything had gone all right the previous day. Awwww so
nice of him.

Finally I demand Indiblogger correct my
broken relationship with Nokia because they were the ones who sent the other
woman(or phone to be precise). Nokia was the first mobile phone I owned in
2002. Back then, even the Nokia 3310 was a treasure.With the advent of Camera phones, I wanted a phone which would allow
me to take color photographs. That is when I got my N70. We clicked everything
that caught our fancy back then. One fine day, with heavy heart, I gave
my up N70 and finally took the N73. Again when my husband brought me an E63, I
refused to change because I was used to N73 and comfortable with it. The only
problem I had with the phone was, unlike Kasab, it got hanged too often. I used the phone for a long time, by changing
the panel from silver to black and replacing the keyboard when the buttons wore
out until Indiblogger interfered and broke my relationship with Nokia by giving
me a HTC wildfire S phone as prize on their contest. It is now left up to
Indiblogger to go ahead the repair my relationship with Nokia by giving me a
Nokia Lumia.

For those who have great ideas to share with Nokia, the brand has come up with a contest called “Your Wish is My app” which will lead you to fame and money if selected.